Deftly blending tried-and-true mechanics with a brand-new way to move, Hybrid is a fresh, exciting shooter.

SuperNOVA is mostly more of the same, but a decent array of modes and a list of new songs help keep the experience feeling reasonably fresh.

Those who may be looking for another "SSX" will certainly be disappointed by X-Games' sim-styled approach, but those who are looking for a true-to-life snowboarding experience will be overjoyed.

It goes into slightly more realistic territory without sacrificing the fun, easy-to-learn gameplay that most of Midway's sports games possess.

If you like racing for the sheer thrill of it and don't need to have all the realism, then 4x4 Evolution is definitely recommended.

It certainly is a good arcade-style driving game, but it's nowhere near as fun as the PlayStation 2 version.

"GameDay 2001," aside from its obvious roster updates and a few minor additions, is totally identical to last year's title, which was a really good game.

More of the same thing that made the first game good. Unfortunately, what was great almost three years ago doesn't hold nearly as much water these days.

A very good rendition of two-on-two basketball.

Anyone looking for the next "Street Fighter" probably ought to look elsewhere, but Dragon Ball fans (even casual watchers) will be more than delighted.

While it has its moments, its lack of refinement makes playing it a disjointed and frustrating experience.

Banished reinforces the human drama with its brutal difficulty and negative feedback loops. It's fertile soil for some of the most remarkable emergent storytelling around.

Earthworm Jim HD is just as weird and frustrating as its Sega Genesis inspiration.

With tastes of both classic and modern Resident Evil, Revelations 2 has something for everyone, but it would be served better if it was a little more focused and had a little less Moira.

Thrillville: Off the Rails makes every part of building and running a theme park great fun.

So what these games may lack in graphical prowess, they more than make up for in spirit and underlying quality.

Beyond Light might not be the biggest expansion, but it does feel like we've entered a new chapter in the game's life, with new priorities and an approach that makes the game more resonant in a way that goes beyond satisfying shooting. On the whole, Destiny 2 might be more of the same than it is different, but what's the same about it--like its phenomenal raids and tight, satisfying gameplay--is still largely pretty great, and what's different is mostly making the game all the more worthwhile.

Worse than the technical shortcomings, off-the-mark combat, and terrible omissions from the roster, Yuke's failure to capture the heart of WWE makes WWE 2K16 such a disappointment. The modern WWE is overflowing with talent. The series’ inability to deliver on the magic of WWE's characters and athletes, beyond number crunching and subpar combat, indicates that this series is still far from being able to relive the magic of the squared circle inside your living room.

Telltale's Batman series has passed the halfway point--and, unfortunately, Episode 3 fails to raise the stakes, present a fresh take on Bruce Wayne, or take the narrative in an interesting new direction.

On a pure gameplay level, Fighting EX Layer is an absolute treat. What it lacks in bells and whistles it delivers in pure, fun combat. This is a game made for the sort of people who will spend hours perfecting an impractical, extremely-precise combo in training mode simply for the satisfaction of having done it. If that describes you, then Fighting EX Layer will be worth everything you put into it.

At its best, though, in both the original survival mode, across the bulk of the campaign and in the one-off challenge of the week maps, They Are Billions remains a tight and compelling strategy game. The knowledge that you're always just one misstep away from disaster creates a gripping, tense atmosphere that's unusual for the genre. And the cycle from defense to offense and back again as you progress from one wave to the next offers both well-paced urgency and the ability to set clear short-term goals. It's a smartly designed game at its core, despite the distractions. Just like a lone zombie can bring about your demise, sometimes one strong idea is enough.

Though plodding and slow-paced relative to modern stealth games, there is something satisfying to its puzzle-like approach. Unfortunately, it's hard to see the good through issues with the AI, frustrating checkpointing, and technical troubles. Oddworld is an interesting world and I hope we get to see the rest of Abe's saga, but the series needs more than a new coat of paint to breathe new life into the series.

More so than its predecessors, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order excels because of its character diversity and the ways its disparate heroes work together. For this reason alone it's an ideal co-op game, whether you're playing with another friend in the same room or with three friends online, but the AI more than holds its own if you're playing alone, too. It falters in places, but there's still nothing quite like the Ultimate Alliance series, and this long-awaited third entry makes it a triumphant return for a superhero brawler that feels more relevant than ever.

Too many basic flaws hinder the block-bashing fun of Lego Pirates of the Caribbean.

The camera's viewpoint, an otherwise awkward mash-up of overhead and axonometric shots, reveals all the pixelated squalor, all the detritus and homelessness and violence that so often goes ignored by the upper crust. The RPG feels at home here, among the dregs of society, like it did back in the Midgar slums of Final Fantasy VII. The genre's old mainstays--fetching, bartering, and grinding--are much more suited to a blue collar than they are to plate armor.

Good visuals and accessible controls can't mask Grand Slam Tennis 2's weak career mode.

The tacked-on motion controls and lack of online support take some of the shine off this otherwise dependable superhero adventure.

It's short and occasionally frustrating, but the fireworks display that is Hard Reset is still a blast.

The Eternal Castle is more than a mere nostalgia trip for aging gamers still hanging on to their 5.25-inch floppy drives. In many ways, it's just as modern as it is retro and more than capable of holding its own against its more illustrious contemporary peers. Luckily it's just my memory that isn't as good as it used to be.

Lara Croft's transition to the Wii is not an entirely smooth one.

The breakneck action of SNK's playfully over-the-top military shooter series still holds up, despite compromised motion controls and additional load times.

A fun, strategic game that doesn't ram reality down your throat.

A fairly plain third-person action game that contains a more robust combat system than those found in most similar games. Its graphics, particularly the environments' graphics, aren't noteworthy, and its story isn't fully developed.

The gameplay mechanics are sound, and there's enough variety in the missions that you won't become bored with either the arcade or campaign mode too quickly.

Has good qualities, but, ultimately, it tries much too hard to be something it isn't.

A well-crafted, entirely satisfactory arcade-style flight combat game--much like its predecessor. In fact, Lethal Skies II is so much like its predecessor, in so many significant ways, it's largely the same game.

Although the upgrades are certainly a nice change of pace for what has been a fairly uncompromising series of games, the core game is still much the same as it has always been, and as such, Samurai Warriors remains a game primarily for those already enamored with the Warriors franchise.

While casual gamers will feel like they've been plunged into a maelstrom of names and dates, anyone with a love of history will appreciate the rigorous attention to detail and epic scope.

If you have the patience to learn the subtleties of sled-track design, there is a lot of value in this little package.

The most technically impressive racing game to land on the GBA in quite some time. It's also quite fun.

A fast-paced shooter from Sega that works well as an online game, but it doesn't have enough to it to outlast the likes of "Unreal Tournament" or "Quake III Arena."

In Katrielle Layton's London, it's a season of golden leaves, stiff breezes, and sun that provides light but less warmth. It's the perfect atmosphere for a game that provides such quaint joys for hours on end, cackling at its next pun, zippy one-liner, or absurd new scenario while putting creaky parts of the brain to good use. Sometimes the breeze is a bit too cold, or there's rain, or, oh, you know, the solution to a logic problem you've been staring at for 45 minutes might be “air” and you hate everything for a few minutes, but it doesn't last, and the next pleasant moment is never too far away.

While it all could have worked out nicely and been a solid action game, the game's touchy and occasionally awkward control pushes the game past the "nice, firm challenge" stage and up into the "frustrating trial-and-error" difficulty level.

Path of Neo is a chaotic but pretty good brawler worth the time for those who still think fondly of the Matrix series.

Despite its considerable depth, Shadow Hearts is easy to get into and yet maintains a satisfying level of challenge.

Time of Defiance isn't all there right now, but it'll be interesting to see what Nicely Crafted Entertainment does with this promising game design in the coming months.

The game's wide-open levels actually encourage players to explore, giving the series a fresh feel compared to past games and other World War II shooters. Unfortunately, a very brief campaign and no online multiplayer means the fun doesn't last long.

Rhythm fans will find a lot of music, challenge, and customization to love as they get to know Hatsune Miku: Project Diva F.

Renegade Squadron is an improvement over its predecessor in almost every way.

Fantastic combat and smart writing give Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier an edge over its cookie-cutter trappings.

Pinball Hall of Fame delivers some accurate re-creations of some of Gottlieb's classic pinball tables, but the graphics get a little muddy in spots.

There is potential replay value if you want to find everything you can and experience the full experience, but that is a big if. One time was enough for me and hopefully if they do make a LEGO Batman part Deux it has new gameplay, because we need it.

While both the RPG and RTS elements presented here stay true to form, the overall game is more than the sum of its parts because of how it makes such disparate concepts serve the goal of creating a militaristic role-playing epic.

The word that really sticks in my mind when describing Another Code Recollection is "pleasant." I never felt particularly annoyed at any point while I was playing, but I never felt a particularly strong sense of engagement, either. I just happily rode along with Ashley on her journey of self-discovery and mystery-solving until we both reached the end. I doubt I'll remember much about the game a couple of years from now, but it was a sweet little escape on a cold winter week. And sometimes, that's all a game really needs to be.

The moments where Outriders is taking daring swings at mixing disparate elements are when it's at its best. The game is surprisingly deft at combining things that shouldn't work together: Its story is often funny but similarly severe; its combat requires you to take cover and to charge; its abilities make you phenomenally powerful but prone to overestimating yourself. If you can find the balance in Outriders, People Can Fly's RPG-shooter finds ways to combine well-worn video game ideas into something new and fun. Especially when you're accompanied by friends and put the time in to really understand the game's systems, Outriders rewards you with epic battle moments and a sprawling scope. It left me wanting to continue venturing out into the wilds of Enoch to see what I might find there--and to smash whatever it was with seismic earthquake magic.

Tedium and monotony overwhelm Mickey's new adventure, smothering its clever use of the Disney license.

Inconsistent presentation and licensing issues trip up Wallabies Rugby Challenge's run for the try line, but enjoyable gameplay and a wealth of modes give it a decent chance at life beyond the World Cup.

With its focus on weapon grabbing over weapon firing, Small Arms' shallow gameplay falls flat.

Some sluggish racing gameplay and a lack of any real depth beyond the game's offline multiplayer component and slightly taxing career mode mar the experience enough to prevent Eve of Destruction from living up to its potential.

When the game caters to its strengths, it soars; when it deviates, it flounders. Regardless, it's still a more than worthy entry in a long line of licensed Star Wars games, and a good action game in its own right.

Sonic Superstars is far from the best Sonic, and its flaws are both copious and obvious. Despite this, there's still that base Sonic high-speed platforming joy at its core, and those ultra-cool moments when it really sticks the landing with a funky new idea, unique surprise, or charming throwback to outshine the ways in which it trips over itself. After all, when you reach for the stars, sometimes you'll overextend--but it makes those moments when you do seize glittering glory all the sweeter.

Some of the games in this collection are better than you remember, but many are worse.

Yooka-Laylee’s best and worst aspects come directly from its predecessor. Despite attempts at modernizing the formula, its style of gameplay is still outdated, and it doesn’t stay challenging or interesting for long as a result. But if you’re looking for a faithful return to the Banjo-Kazooie formula, Yooka-Laylee certainly delivers--from the font to the music to the wealth of collectibles, it’s worthy of the title of spiritual successor.

It offers an appealingly unique setting that makes it something more than a typical adventure game.

It’s clear that the act of flying is Iron Man VR's driving force. Every story mission ends with a score and ranking, pushing you to replay and improve, and each map has multiple types of optional time trials for anyone who just wants to spend more time in the armor. Unfortunately, there aren't that many ways to take advantage of those unique controls. Aside from a single chase sequence and a story-heavy "horror ride" level, there is very little variation in the gameplay. With only a handful of weapons and enemy types, even the unique controls cannot stave off the redundancy. You'll also replay many levels more than once over the course of the story, intensifying the feeling that you've seen and done everything the game has to offer long before the credits roll.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's modern, semi-open approach to telling the saga of DBZ--despite some minor issues--is a good one. Zooming around the environments and seeing the world up close is a blast, and it's great being able to interact with so many fun DBZ characters and see stories that usually get passed over for game adaptations. And even though combat can be a bit lacking, when the big battles happen, they feel suitably epic and engaging. If you're looking for an enjoyable way to see the life and times of adult Goku through a new perspective, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will grant your wish.

The wild, exceptional combat of Rage 2 contends with some of the genre's greats, but it's disappointing that the game's world squanders its potential.

Satan and six-guns make a great partnership in Hard West. While the game mechanics and scenario design are somewhat predictable, the aura of high strangeness on the lonesome prairie does a lot to freshen up what could have otherwise been a little dated and formulaic. Tactical combat fans and horror buffs alike will find a lot to like here in both the spooky surroundings and the shoot-em-up scenarios.

Pass protection that depicts an offensive line truly working together is a long-awaited improvement that series fans will love, and there are tangible dividends in learning the running game, provided you invest the time.

The 3D levels and the multiplayer mode that's built around them are more than good enough to justify the 10 extra dollars that the DS game costs.

Despite its annoying technical issues, Soldiers of Anarchy is a lot of fun.

Good enough graphics, good enough sound, good enough mission design, and good enough action.

A competent title with enough depth, playability, challenge, and originality to hold the interest of the discerning strategy fan.

Had the feel of the weapons been a little better, and had the campaign been more consistently intense, Finest Hour could have been a much better game.

This giant robot action game makes up for its lack of accessibility with fun, nuanced combat.

Offers more of the intense and suspenseful single-player and multiplayer action that made Vietcong the respectable game that it is.

Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party could stand to be a lot hotter, and a lot cheaper. For 70 dollars you get the disc and the dance mat, but you need to shell out at least 20 more dollars for a second mat if you want to go head-to-head with friends.

Despite its problems, Nidhogg 2 is spectacular, engrossing, funny, tragic, and dramatic in equal measure, and it will no doubt become another party game staple. Nidhogg 2 sacrifices simplicity for more options, and it doesn't prove to be a good trade. But when the underlying action is this good, I'll put up with the odd unwelcome dagger.

Tightens the focus of the gameplay, delivering a rhythm action experience that's entertaining, if a little familiar.

Alpha Protocol's astounding intricacies are tarnished by bugs, clumsy gameplay mechanics, and rough production values.

Budget-priced and packed with options, this arcade shooter compilation is a decent game and a good value.

It’s a game with enough ambition and execution to spark the imagination, and enough organic entropy to let you suspend your disbelief about the families you help sire. But Massive Chalice extends you the invitation and then offers you a half-empty world in return.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl keep enough classic elements to feel like a comfy nostalgia trip, while smoothing over enough of the rough edges that they feel relatively contemporary with other recent Pokemon games. It can't be easy for a storied franchise to pay homage to its legacy while also modernizing in this way, but Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl strike the right balance. It's the classic Pokemon you remember, without most of the little annoyances you've forgotten.

The unique blend of action and strategy in Glory Days 2 will make you wish the campaign lasted a little longer.

Soulstorm caps off the long-running Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War series with recycled gameplay.

The puzzle pieces of the central mysteries you can slot together are satisfying, and the picture they begin to create is truly captivating, even if you are left wishing you could see just a bit more of it.

For the most part, Spartan: Total Warrior is a pretty good action effort. Unfortunately, the high production values and engaging gameplay of the Total War games are nowhere to be found here.

Improved fighting mechanics and mode selection can't overcome some glaring weaknesses.

The Flame in the Flood encourages you to put long-term goals aside and live in the moment, to make choices and overcome short-term problems with risky but satisfying spontaneity. Despite the awkward menu system, it’s an absorbing game that lets you experience a journey in the present, and fully appreciate the sights, sounds, and joys of floating down the river in its alluring world.

In a lot of ways, Evil West feels like a relic of the past. It's the kind of game you could envision playing back in, say, 2010 or perhaps even earlier. This simplicity could've been somewhat refreshing when so many modern games are overly bloated by comparison, but it comes across like a game short on aspiration. Combat is robust, relishes in gore, and constantly delights with its weighty and satisfying action. It stumbles into tedium towards the end, though, both as a result of enemy oversaturation and because it's forced to carry the load, but it's the one aspect that makes Evil West worth playing. The rest of the game is formulaic and mind-numbingly dull, actively diminishing its high points as you saunter from one combat arena to another. I didn't always enjoy my time with Evil West, but I hope a sequel is in the pipeline, if only to see if Flying Wild Hog can expand and improve on its promise.

All-told, Kingmaker isn't a stellar outing, hampered by a litany of small issues, balancing, and the gargantuan knowledge base you'll need to play most effectively. But, for those with the patience, the rewards are well worth the investment.

God Hand's pure focus on ridiculous martial arts brawls makes this simple action game fun and challenging. Bonus points for the wild sense of humor and surf rock soundtrack.

Although Blues and Bullets isn’t without its flaws, this first episode sets a distinctive comic-book, crime-noir attitude compelling enough to keep you playing and looking forward to what the series will offer in future installments. Anyone who enjoys classic noir fiction or the decidedly modern, bloody take on it offered up on the grim streets of Sin City will find a lot to like here.

Nippon Ichi's latest strategy role-playing game marks a welcome departure from the tried and true formula it made popular in Disgaea.

Fist Puncher is a welcome and extended return to the heyday of brawlers.

Disneyland Adventures does a remarkable job of replicating the park and all its charms, but flawed controls put a damper on this excursion.

Given Second Son's greatness, I had hoped for something more than a time-waster, but this Infamous has no bite.